Building One Another  

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. I Thessalonians 5:11

Make Room for Love

DearFriend,                      

The Christmas season is a wonderful time to welcome people into your life. My friend Glenda Hoffman speaks of hospitality as “making room for love!” What a wonderful way to express it!

Hospitality involves reaching out and drawing in: Reaching out with the invitation that says, “Come.” Drawing in with “Welcome, I’m glad you’re here.” Both steps make room for love.

Although it’s wonderful to invite family and friends over, hospitality in its purest form is the hosting of a stranger – someone you do not know well or know at all. Who might you include in your life who is not already a part of your“inner circle?”

Hospitality does take some effort– physical effort to prepare your home and emotional effort to connect with people. No wonder Peter said, “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” I Peter 4:9*

Sometimes people think hospitality means simply or only inviting people into your home –however its more than that, it’s inviting them into your life! “Let’s meet at Starbucks for a cup of coffee.” “Join us for supper at a local restaurant.” In other words, “Come into my/our life” makes room for love.

TheNew Testament frequently reserves this word “pursue” for matters of great consequence such as pursue love and pursue peace. It comes as no surprise that we are, “to pursue hospitality!” Our Lord has made room for love for you and you also may make room for love.

Joy to you – E. Stanley Ott

© Copyright2019 E. Stanley Ott
*Scripture from the ESV

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1. What comes to your mind when you think of hospitality is making room for love?
2. Think of or share with others a time when someone else showed hospitality to you, made room for love for you?
3. Consider who is out side your inner circle for whom you will make room for love - and invite them to join you - for a meal in your home or out to eat, or for a cup of coffee or a movie or something else you are doing. In other words to whom will you say, in essence, "Come into my life," when you invite them and reach out to welcome them?